Melanie&Nicholas

Custom Pencil Pet Portraits from Photos

Horse Pencil Portrait – Life Story Portrait Drawing of Racehorse Charles

Welcome to my horse pencil portrait of Charles, a much-loved racehorse drawn as a surprise 50th birthday gift. This Life Story Portrait pencil drawing was commissioned by Karen here in the UK for her friend Tim, using a carefully chosen set of reference photos. We worked together on the layout and design, selecting a combination of head and full-body studies that best captured Charles’ strength and character. The final drawing was created by hand using graphite pencils on Italian Fabriano paper at 18 x 14 inches. It was a joy to bring Charles to life on paper, and even more rewarding to know how much the portrait was treasured by both Karen and Tim. Scroll down to read more about the portrait.

Reference photos showing a head study and full body pose of racehorse Charles for a Life Story Portrait pencil portrait.
Charles

About the Horse Pencil Portrait Commission of Charles

Karen Masters, UK, emailed me in 2012 to discuss commissioning a portrait of her friend’s horse, Charles. Karen wanted an 18 x 14 Life Story Portrait pencil portrait and sent through lots of wonderful photos of Charles to choose from.

Karen and I worked through a number of designs until we settled on the final composition you see above. I really enjoyed drawing Charles, particularly the full-body study with Charles' muscle structure.

Once the portrait was completed, Karen ordered a print copy so that the original could go to her friend Tim, and she could have a copy too. It is always a wonderful option to have a high-quality print so multiple people can enjoy the artwork.

I absolutely love it when my clients send photos of their portraits once they arrive. Karen very kindly emailed me some wonderful photos she took once the print had been framed and hung in situ. I was thrilled to see them and delighted to add them to my website. It was lovely to know that both Karen and Tim were so happy with their portrait!

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Happy Clients...

Dear Melanie,

I wanted to send you a photograph of the framed Charles picture. The file is a picture of the framed print, not the original. I have yet to take a picture of the framed original which my friend has.

Both pictures have been framed differently, which is interesting in itself. Both look absolutely stunning, even more so now that they are framed. I can’t thank you enough for the wonderful job that you did. Tim really appreciated his 50th birthday present! It’s ironic that he does not actually own Charles now, but it is a fitting memento of Tim’s first racehorse!

My picture has pride of place in the living room where I can look at it every day. Every time I look at it, I smile and have such fond memories of Charles. Your picture is stunningly beautiful.

Thank you again. Wishing you the best for a very happy and prosperous New Year.

Karen
The finished Life Story Portrait pencil portrait of racehorse Charles, showcasing multiple studies.

The Horse Pencil Pet Portrait Framed

Karen used her own local framer to frame both the original and the print, and they both look stunning, as you can see below. If you have my drawing of your horse pencil portrait framed, I’d love to see it so that I can add it to my website.

A framed print of the racehorse Charles pencil portrait hanging on a wall.

Commission Your Own Pet Life Story Portrait Portrait

Life Story Portrait portraits are a really lovely way to celebrate your pet, whether it be a horse, dog, or cat. If you would like to have your own Life Story Portrait drawing, why not email me your photos? Let me know if you would like two studies and a main portrait like Charles, or perhaps four studies with the main drawing—the options are endless!

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The framed original pencil portrait of racehorse Charles displayed in a home setting.
Commission a Drawing

Why not send me photos of your dog, cat or horse, I can help you choose the perfect photo for the drawing. We can chat about your pet and your ideas for a custom piece of artwork. Really looking forward to working with you!

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